By CHARLIE PARENT
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Haralson, a five-star out of La Lumiere (IN.) and Indy Heat Elite, has been arguably the best rising senior this spring, averaging 20.2 points and 6.4 rebounds through 10 games on the Nike EYBL circuit.
The 6-foot-6 versatile guard/forward continued his momentum into last weekend’s first live period, where he dropped 37 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in a 85-66 win over Vegas Elite on Saturday night.
“[I’m showing] all areas of my game and just keep developing as a shooter,” he said. “I feel like everything else in my game is elite but I feel like I’ve grown as a shooter and just need to continue getting more reps. [I want] to become more efficient and more dominant.”
Haralson has taken an official visit to Auburn, while he still wants to see Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Missouri. Michigan and Dusty May have been in touch with the young guard, while in-state school Indiana remains a viable option.
He’ll look to wrap up recruitment in early fall, wanting to play a full senior season whilst committed, he says.
“I want to take as [many] visits as I can,” he said. “I want to play a whole senior season committed.”
Haralson broke down some options:
Auburn: “Bruce Pearl is a really fiery guy, really energetic and real emotional. He cares a lot about his players and his family at Auburn basketball. [Auburn] is really just a family environment. They [play] real high tempo, offense and defense, they pressure a lot. I feel like I’m a pretty good defender; I’m pretty strong and they’ve had really strong guards in the past.”
Missouri: “Their full staff came to my game yesterday, so obviously, they’re very interested in me. I’ve been talking to them for a long time they probably came up to visit me the most at school. Dennis Gates is a very family oriented guy so [I’m] really just trying to learn more about the program and watch some film with them.”
Gonzaga: “They recruited me since my freshman year. [I want] to get out there for a visit. They run a lot of high-level stuff offensively, and I feel like they’re one of the best offenses in the country every single year. Mark Few is one of the best coaches in the country so I look forward to getting out there.”
Duke: “They’ve been recruiting me for a very long time. I was one of the first 4-or-5 offers, and they don’t offer a lot of guys, so they really keep their recruiting circle small and recruit hard and see what guys they want. I got to get out there for a visit, learn more about the program. One of my favorite players growing up was Jayson Tatum, so I watched a lot of Duke basketball. [It’s] really just learning how I’ll fit into their program.”
Kansas: “Kansas is newer. I got the offer at the end of last year. So [I’m] really just hoping to get down there and see what the Kansas lifestyle is about. I don’t know much about the program; I watched them a little bit more last year after they offered me, but just trying to learn more. Bill Self is obviously one of the best coaches in America.
Indiana: “I was [Mike] Woodson’s first offer in office out of anyone. I feel like they’re the school that’s been recruiting me the longest, so that was really my first offer [that] I’m still talking to. Obviously, I’ve been down there a whole lot of time with my brother going there so I know a lot about the program. I’m looking to go down there and talk some more about my development in their program and see what IU basketball’s about.
Michigan: “Dusty May came up there [La Lumiere] as soon as he got the job. Obviously, they want me to come to Michigan, and I think May knew he was getting a higher job for a long time; he came to my games last year at FAU, so I’ve been talking to him for a minute now. We’ll see how that goes.”
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